Movable filling-bridge.



FRANK 1V. MAY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON'.

MOVABLE FILLING-BRIDGE.

Application led August 14, 1916.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK W. MAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Seattle, in the county. of yKing and State of lVashington, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Movable Filling- Bridges, of which the following is a full, true, and exact specification.

My invention relates to movable filling bridges and has for its principal object to provide an improved and novel movable means of supporting a tra-ck some distance above the ground while an earth or rock iill is being built under the track; to provide a movable track supporting bridge which is moved forward by meansof-the earth pressure against the end of the said bridge. Another object of my device is to provide conveyer means on top of the bridge upon which track ties are normally supported. ln making railway and highway fills bymeaus of dumping cars it is the generalpractice to first build a temporary trestle or bridge upon which the cars are run and dumped. ln other words, the fill is built up around the trestle by dumping from the top of the trestle. It will be evident that a large amount of labor and material are consumed in first constructing this trestle and .that very little of the material is recovered after the lill is completed. Further, the placing of the fill frequently damages and breaks down the trestle and its bracings. My device is designed to take the place of the usual temporary bridge or trestle, to support the.

dumping track, to run upon short sections of track laid upon the ground and to be propelled forward by means of the earth pressure of the newl made fill bearing against the end of the. ridge.

Other objects will appear as my invention is more fully explained in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional end eleva-tion of same taken along line X X of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, numerals 1 and 2 indicate top and bottom members respectively of a truss which also has diagonale 3 and end posts 4 and 5. The bridge is made up of two or more complete trusses which are tied together by cross Specification of Letters Patent.

.bridge is advanced.

Patented Feb. 20, 1917.

Serial No. 114,714.

at either endof the said truss. The truck wheels are .adapted to run upon short sections of track 9 which vare laid directly upon the ground and areinoved ahead as the The rear end of the bridge is provided with a bulk head stringer 10 whichruns transversely across the-bridge and for some distance on either side of the trusses and is used to stiften .and support a plank bulk head 11 which rests directly against end posts 4. It will beunderstood that the bulk head is of approximately the same heightas the fill to beinade and that at each side slopes equivalent to the natura-l slope of a newly made earth embankment so that its elevation is practically the same size and shape as the 'cross section of the fill. Sheaves 12 are mounted upon shafts which in turn are mountedin bearings which rest upon the topchords 1. VEndlesscables 12L pass over sheaves 12. The cables l2a are kept taut and are utilized to normally support the weight of ties 13 and rails 14. Stringers l5 rest upon the tops of chord 1 and intermediate the sheave bearings. The tops of the stringersl are but slightly lower than the tops of cables 12a". Hinged dump stringere 16 are pivotally mounted upon the rear end of top chords 1 and have their free end attached to flat shoes 17 which rest upon the dump 18 of the newly made lill. The car rails 14 and ties 13 extend from the top of the fill out across dump stringere 1G and the bridge stringers 15. ln operation my device is set about as indicated in Fig. 1 except that in Fig. 1 earth has been dumped only against the bulk head 11. Loaded dump cars are run out upon the track 14 and are dumped one at a time back of the bulk head l1 as the train is run out upon the bridge. When the ll has been brought up to the level of the track behind the bulk head 11 the bridge is then advanced until the bulk head is near the toe of the lill. Jacks 19 are ordinarily used to support the rear end of the bridge while the cars are dumped in order to relieve the rear truck from excessive loads. Guy lines 20 are used to prevent the bridge from running forward and are secured at one end to the bridge, passing through blocks 21 which may be secured to anearby tree or stump or may be fastened to dead men in the fill. It' the fill has been brought up beneath the bulk head the lines 20 are slacked out and the pressure of the earth against the bulk head is sufficient to shove the bridge forward. When the bridge has come to a stop or if advanced as far as desired, the lines are again made tast and the operation of filling is repeated. As the bridge advances the ties 13 which rest upon the cable 12 cause the said cable to revolve about the sheaves 12 and thereby lessen the friction resist of the track and ties to the bridge being advanced beneath it. After the bridge is advanced more ties and track are built upon its outer end so that the process of building track and filling progress continuously without the necessity of building any temporary trestle or bridge from which to ill, and later having to remo-ve the bridge stringers from out of the fill. My device is equally applicable ior water use in which case it is maintained upon a {ioat or barge. In this case the barge is towed forward in advance of the fill and beneath the track.

llVhile I have shown a particular form of embodiment of .my invention, I am aware that many Yminor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I therefore desire to avoid being limited to the exact form shown and described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and des-ire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a continuous filling making device, the.combination of a movable bridge, a bulk head secured transversely to the rear end of said bridge, whereby the earth pressure of the fill against the said bulk head will push forward the said bridge.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a movable bridge, track supporting connection between the rear end oit saidA bridge and earth embankment fill, a stationary track resting continuously upon the said lill, the track supporting connection and the said bridge, bulk head means mounted upon the rear end of said bridge, whereby the pressure of a newly made iill against the bulk head will shove forward the movable bridge.

3. In a continuous iill making device, the combination of a movable bridge, a bulk head secured transversely to the rear end el said bridge, whereby the earth pressure ol the iill against the said bulk head will push loi-ward the said bridge, revolving track supporting means maintained upon the top of said bridge, pivotally mounted dump stringersv one end of each of which is secured to the said bridge and the other end of which rests upon the completed lill, and track supporting means', whereby dump cars may be run out upon the bridge and dumped behind the said bulk head.

FRANK lV. MAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

